Love Is All Around
by vanrigsby
Summary: After Casey's death, there's really only one person who can pull a certain brown-eyed detective out of her stupor. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this popped into my head while I was listening to the song Love Is All Around by Ricki-Lee (Aussie artist, you might not know her...). It's probably bad, but oh well. I liked it.**

**Disclaimer: What do _you _think?**

* * *

"Maura?" Frost's voice reverberated around the seemingly empty morgue. "You here?"

There was a commotion from around the corner, something Frost couldn't see, before Maura's voice emerged from the kerfuffle.

"I'm coming, Frost."

She turned the corner, and Frost began to walk briskly towards her. He stopped a foot short of the doctor.

"Maura, please talk to Jane. She's getting worse."

Maura knew that ever since Casey's passing, Jane had been sinking further into herself. Though the detective had known the high risks of Casey's surgery, it hadn't eased the pain, the sharp pang of loss Jane felt. Maura had tried to pull her out of her stupor, but nothing seemed to be working. Jane had spent a week just simply going through the motions. Doing things without thinking about them. She'd become a robot, a shell of herself. And it was starting to scare Maura. Everyone was noticing, everyone was affected. Jane's temper was shorter than usual, and more than once Maura had hidden tears at her friend's outbursts, and she'd seen the same thing happen to Angela. Frost and Korsak had been trying to work around Jane, not giving her too much work, not pressing her to talk. Maura had tried to reconnect with the brunette, but each time was rebuffed, and not exactly kindly. However, for Jane to get bad enough that Frost was actually coming to her for help, she knew she had to try at least one more time. She found herself nodding.

"Okay."

x

Jane dug her spoon forcefully into the tub of chocolate ice-cream and turned up the sound on the baseball game. She shoved the icy cold dessert into her mouth and tucked her legs under her, stopping mid-way when she heard a knock at the door. Swallowing, she debated ignoring it. She really didn't feel like socialising. Then again, when was the last time she did? Her visitor, however, was insistent, knocking on the door a second time when Jane didn't respond. Jane unfurled her legs and trudged to the entrance of her apartment. She didn't even bother looking through the peephole, instead choosing to fling open the door, a scowl already etched on her features. She wasn't shocked to find Maura on the other side, her hair mussed slightly from the wind outside, a concerned wrinkle between her eyebrows.

"Well?" Maura gestured behind Jane and stepped forward. "Can I come in?"

Jane was still for a moment, her brown eyes warring with Maura's hazel ones. The two of them were silent.

"Jane?"

The brunette sighed and stepped backward, allowing her best friend to enter the apartment.

Jane trailed behind the blonde as she strode purposefully into the room and sat herself on the couch. She moved Jane's tub of icecream aside, placing it on the table to make room for the detective on the couch beside her. However, Jane remained standing a few feet away, her arms folded defensively across her thin chest and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Jane, talk to me," Maura's voice was uncharacteristically pleading. Every other approach so far had been fruitless.

When Jane turned and began to head in the direction of the bedroom, Maura surprised even herself by leaping up and seizing Jane's arm, dragging her backwards until only inches of space separated them.

"Jane, please," Maura could already feel the tears building behind her eyes, the fragile dam she'd erected already beginning to crumble. Her free hand reached up and caught hold of Jane's other arm. The tan flesh was warm beneath her fingers, and she squeezed Jane slightly. "I'm supposed to be your best friend."

Jane looked at Maura. She stared deep into those warm hazel eyes, the eyes that swirled with love and compassion and... fear? _Fear of losing you, you idiot, _she reprimanded herself. _Fear that you'll leave her just like every other person in her life so far._ Suddenly, she was hyper-aware of how close Maura was; her still-cool fingers curled around each of Jane's biceps, their bodies so close they would be touching if either one of them breathed too deeply. Slowly, Jane dragged her eyes upwards from where they rested on Maura's hands, to meet the doctor's own hazel orbs. There were so many emotions in her oh-so-familiar eyes that Jane had a hard time deciphering them all. The one that was foremost, however, was pain. Hurt. Jane saw the pain in Maura's eyes, realising she'd caused it. All of the pushing she'd done to isolate herself, all of the doors she'd shut, both figuratively and literally, everything she'd done to be all by herself, had hurt Maura as much as she'd been hurt by losing Casey. She didn't realise how much she'd hurt Maura; she'd been too caught up in her own feelings of angst and grief. A feeling of guilt, harsh and fierce, like fire, rushed through her veins, constricting her heart so forcefully it was nearly painful.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, never breaking eye contact. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, burning, but she allowed Maura to see it. Maura's teary gaze bore into Jane's, the gaze that Jane had seen all too many times. Suddenly, a stronger feeling overwhelmed the guilt. Love. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was a love that was warm and pleasant, and spread through her body like a warm hot chocolate on a chilly winter's day, like the first rays of the sun in summer. It was a love that was completely unfamiliar. With Casey, it'd been originally the sexual component, and the emotional attachment had come later. She'd thought she was in love with Casey. But she'd always wondered if that's what love was. Now she knew that it most definitely was not. She always wondered why things never seemed to fall perfectly into place with Casey. Why she had always felt like she thought she was in love with him, but never really truly been as such. Now she knew why. She'd been in love with someone else the whole time.

Her best friend.

Jane bit her lip slightly as the two of them continued to start at each other in silence.

"Maura," Jane whispered, the usual raspy quality of her voice amplified by the tears that constricted her throat.

A small, cautious smile spread across the blonde's lips slowly. "I know," her voice matched Jane's in volume, in tenderness. "I love you too."

Jane slid her arms around Maura's waist, closing the small gap between them. Maura's hands glided from Jane's arms to rest around her neck. They stood like that for a moment. Jane's mind churned at a million miles an hour, her heart beating so loud and so fast she was nearly positive Maura could hear it. The neighbours across the hall could probably hear it. The doctor wrapped in the circle of her arms stood perfectly still, every muscle tense and immobile as she waited for Jane to move first. Jane was confused and nervous all at once, scared of jumping into the unknown. She didn't even know what it would feel like. Good? Bad? Odd? She hoped it wouldn't feel odd.

The smile that had ever-so-tentatively been playing at the corners of Maura's mouth grew into a bright grin as Jane leant into towards her.

"Hi," she whispered, a moment before their lips met.

Jane knew in an instant what she felt.

Fireworks.

* * *

**A/N: I may continue it, if I get enough support. (In fact, I was going to leave it after the line "Her best friend"... Let me know if I didn't make the right decision.) But hey, if you feel so inclined, tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I wasn't expecting the response this story got. It's incredible. I'm so thankful to everyone for letting me know I should continue. Thanks to that, here's one of my quickest updates EVER.**

** In other news, onto Chapter Two.**

* * *

Jane felt like every nerve ending in her body was on fire, and her brain decided to short circuit. Maura's lips against hers were warm, and soft, and perfect. The kiss was not necessarily chaste, but not overly intimate. Jane could tell Maura was holding back, making sure Jane was alright with everything, and that made Jane's heart beat even faster. After a few moments she pulled away, breathless.

Maura was looking up at her, hazel eyes oh-so-knowing, sparkling like Jane had never seen.

Jane was frozen for a moment, her hands clutching Maura's hips, their bodies pressed tightly against one another.

"Oh my god," Jane breathed, her heart still pounding out its staccato rhythm, her body torn between singing from the rooftops and falling in a heap. What just happened? She kissed Maura. She _kissed _Maura. She kissed _Maura. She kissed Maura. _Her best friend.

Jane had never really thought of herself as attracted to girls before. Sure, she could appreciate them, like anyone else, saying "oh wow her body looks great" or "oh my god; isn't so-and-so _gorgeous_", but attracted to them? Never. But Maura was different. Sure, her body was flawless and she was the most breathtaking being on this planet, but Jane had never really considered what those thoughts meant. _Kissing _Maura however, was a whole different can of worms. It felt incredible. Like flying on the clouds. Like she was invincible. But it was also terrifying. What now? Did this change anything? Well, surely it changed something. But what, exactly? What did that make Jane? Make Maura? Make the two of them?

"What are you thinking about?" Maura's fingers caught hold of one of Jane's curls, twirling it around in her fingertips.

Jane breathed out heavily. "Us," she said honestly. She could see herself reflected in Maura's eyes, her own pair of brown ones equally smitten and terrified.

"You don't have to pursue this, if you don't want," Maura's voice wavered a little, unsure. "Sexuality is actually quite fluid. A sliding scale, people say. You don't have to follow this course if you find that it doesn't suit your preference."

Jane's lips tugged up in a lopsided smile at Maura's clinical approach. "Funny thing is, I think you might be my preference," Jane didn't know what she was saying, the words seemed to be slipping out. Like they were pressing at the back of her lips, desperate to get out after being confined for so long. Too long. Even then, they seemed shaky. Scared. Worried. Unsure.

"You're scared," Maura stepped back, her hands slipping into Jane's. "That's okay."

Jane shrugged, missing the doctor's warmth already. "It's just… I've never done this," she gestured between the two of them, "before."

"Been with a woman?"

Jane paused slightly. "Yes."

They were both quiet for a moment, each wrapped up in their own tangled web of thoughts. One of Jane's thoughts snagged in her brain and she felt the sudden desire to voice it.

"Have you?" she stumbled over the words as they broke free from her mouth. "Been with a woman, I mean."

Maura hesitated briefly, a light blush creeping up her neck and settling on her cheeks.

"Don't lie, Doctor. Hives."

"Yes," Maura said after a long time. "Once. In college."

Jane nodded, processing this new information.

"We don't have to go very fast," Maura interrupted Jane's thoughts, "if you're scared."

Jane met Maura's eyes. "You're already my best friend, Maur. All that's changed now is that I can kiss you." The unspoken _Right? _hung in the air between them.

"Right," Maura answered, smiling widely.

Jane bent down to kiss her doctor again, a barely-there brushing of lips.

"Why do I find this so natural?" Jane mused quietly against Maura's mouth. So quietly she thought Maura didn't listen.

But the medical examiner had heard. "Who knows," she said, her eyes flicking to Jane's lips and back to her own brown gaze.

Jane chuckled deeply, putting some more space between them. "Finally, something that has the great Maura Isles stumped."

"You are deceptively complex," Maura blinked inquisitively at Jane. "You always manage to 'stump' me, whatever that means."

"It means," Jane wrapped Maura in her arms again, pressing their bodies against one another, "that something confuses you, leaves you with no ideas and no words."

"Just like you do," Maura whispered, standing on her tip-toes to press her lips to Jane's once more.

"You don't think we're rushing?" Jane murmured.

Maura pulled away slightly, capturing Jane's gaze. "I've had much more rushed relationships than this, Jane."

"But, like, with your best friend?"

"I've never had a best friend before," Maura's voice switched from seemingly confident to small and insecure, as it always did when she talked about her childhood.

Jane smiled, that small, sad smile reserved especially for moments like these. "I'm here," was all she said.

"I know," was Maura's reply.

The next hour and a half was spent in near-silence, Jane watching the remainder of the baseball game, and Maura watching Jane. Somehow, they managed to finish the tub of ice-cream between them, with Maura shyly kissing away the smudges of chocolate left on the very corner of Jane's mouth, and Jane still processing it all, and so acting like an awkward teenager on her first date.

"Well," Maura said, from where she was tucked against Jane on the couch. It was a position they'd been in many times before, however it was usually reserved for comfort. Scary movies, break-ups, bad days. Not just because they could. Maura could still feel the tension in Jane's body, never truly relaxing. Simply because of the newness of it all, Maura assumed.

"Well," she said, dragging out the word. She pushed herself up to a more upright position so she could look Jane in the eye. "It's getting late," her words trailed off in suggestion, leaving Jane to make the next move.

The detective was momentarily stunned. Her move? What was she supposed to do now? She could make a comment in such a way that Maura would leave, go back to her own house, her own bed, and maybe they'd both be having second thoughts in the morning. Or, she could make a comment in such a way that Maura would stay here, as she often did. But wouldn't that be kind of a big step in any normal relationship? Would Maura even want that?

"Well, I guess you could stay here," she said slowly, weighing her words against the reaction of the woman in front of her. Maura's face lit up like a Christmas tree, causing Jane to smile as well.

"Okay," Maura nodded, rising up off the couch. She reached down a hand to help Jane up, and the brunette took it. "We both have work in the morning."

"Yeah," Jane said, observing the way Maura waited for her to lead the way to the bedroom. Almost as if she was scared Jane would back out at any moment. Make some excuse. Tell Maura that she was just grabbing some sheets for the couch. But Jane, for whatever reason, found nothing wrong in sharing the bed with Maura. She'd done it before. It was nothing new. Just like curling up on the couch. Same old Maura and Jane. Same old friendship. Right?

Maura hesitated at the door to the bedroom.

"Here," Jane rifled through her drawers for a pair of pyjamas that would fit Maura's curvy frame. "You can wear these."

Maura smiled gratefully, catching the pair of old sweatpants and BPD shirt Jane threw at her.

They both changed into their sleepwear, brushing their teeth and climbing into bed. Jane tried not to overthink the situation, tried to become as calm and composed, as the woman beside her. Jane flicked off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness, save for the beam of light falling from the curtains, courtesy of the streetlight outside. Jane was tense, every muscle tight, her heart pounding against her ribcage like it was trying to escape. She didn't know how Maura was handling the situation, and she didn't dare turn her way to check.

"G'night Maur," Jane mumbled into the darkness of the room, rolling onto her side, facing away from the bed's other occupant.

There was dead silence for what seemed to be an eternity. Jane could almost feel the tension in the room, the anticipation, pressing down onto her like a thick winter's blanket. Warm and comforting, but also slightly oppressive, with the fear of the unknown ever-present. She couldn't even hear Maura's breathing. Couldn't hear her own breathing. Stumbling upon this thought, she let out the breath she'd unconsciously been holding in a long, slow stream.

The mattress shifted beneath and behind her, and she could tell Maura was moving around in the bed. Rolling over, Jane assumed. There was a silence as Jane contemplated which side Maura had rolled to. Was she facing the opposite wall? Or facing Jane's back? Would she move closer? Further away?

Jane got her answer when she felt a warm presence by her back; and a tentative hand slipped around her waist. She tensed on instinct, and felt Maura begin to pull away.

"No," she said, as quietly as she could, though the word was still too loud in the deadness of the room. Her hand wrapped itself around Maura's smaller, more delicate one. Their fingers intertwined like they'd been doing it for years. "Stay."

She could feel the body behind her relax, as the tightness flowed from Maura's body, and her own, out of them and into the mattress. She felt the blonde place her lips against Jane's shoulder, made bare by the tank top she was wearing.

"Maura," even Jane could hear how odd her voice sounded, the fear and trepidation striking an odd chord and resounding around the room, "does this make us… girlfriends?"

"We don't need a label," she heard the medical examiner say from behind her, then kiss her mass of disheveled curls. "Unless you want one."

"No," Jane replied quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "I'm good."

Maura exhaled, and Jane felt the warmth against her skin. It sent a pleasant chill scurrying down her arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "Okay," she said.

When Maura thought Jane was asleep, she snuggled closer to her detective, tucking her knees behind Jane's skinny ones, tugging her arm tighter around Jane's slim waist.

"I'm sorry you lost Casey," she mumbled, her face pressed against Jane's warm skin.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away," came Jane's murmured reply a few moments later.

And the detective could feel Maura's gentle smile against her back.

* * *

**A/N: For a story that wasn't supposed to continue, this got out of hand awfully fast. They might be OOC, so I'm sorry. I feel like I'm rushing things with these two, but let me know. Also, I'd love to have ideas of what y'all wanna see in the upcoming chapters. I have a few ideas...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This story seriously was supposed to be a oneshot, in fact I originally planned for it to be less than 1,000 words. And here we are. After this chapter, I have at least another five or so planned out. Whoops. But I hope you're all in for the ride.**

* * *

The early morning sun streamed in through Jane's window, bathing the room in a soft orange tinge that seemed to curl around everything and make the edges of everything she looked at glow just a little.

Jane moved to stretch, but as she arched her back, she felt resistance. _Warm _resistance. Like the kind one might find from another human being. Reflexively, she curled back up into her previous position, only just noticing the slender arm draped around her waist.

Memories of last night came back in a rush, bombarding her mind like pleasant-feeling-filled water balloons. She was overwhelmed with a warmth that spread from her chest to the tips of her fingers. Maura's lips on hers. Her warmth as she fell asleep. Her body curled tightly behind Jane's in the cool sheets of the bed.

Jane could feel Maura against her back now, their positions hardly shifted since the night before. Maura's knees pressed against the backs of her own, the rough material of the sweatpants against the bare skin of Jane's legs. If Jane closed her eyes and focused hard enough, she could feel the soft rise and fall of the doctor's chest against her back, the gentle puffs of air against her messy brown curls. The warm feeling was back, snaking around Jane's limbs like the soft glow that enveloped the room.

Jane inhaled deeply, shifting away slightly so she could stretch as she was doing before. The task completed, she settled back down into the softness of the bed and Maura's embrace. A soft kiss on her shoulderblade made her jump slightly, sending goosebumps skittering down her arms.

"Hi," she mumbled, rolling over. Her voice was especially rough, courtesy of a night of disuse.

"Good morning," her medical examiner grinned back, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Jane kissed Maura again when she pulled away.

"You are wonderful," she mumbled against the blonde's mouth. She could feel Maura's response when her lips tugged up in a smile.

There was a moment of silence, where the two of them simply lay in dead quiet, their foreheads pressed together, feeling each other breathe.

"Jane," Maura whispered, "are you okay now?"

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed, and she pulled away slightly to be able to look Maura in the eye.

"What?"

Maura seemed shocked, as though she were scared of how Jane might react.

"You just seemed in some kind of a stupor," Maura bit her lip slightly. "After Casey, is what I mean."

Jane thought for a minute, all the while Maura's eyes remained focused on her face, searching for some kind of a clue that would lead to Jane's response.

"I guess I was," the detective finally replied. "But, thanks to you, now I'm not." Jane flashed the other woman a megawatt smile as she watched a faint blush creep up Maura's neck and settle on her cheeks. Jane kissed the redness, feeling the warmth beneath her lips.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from near the entrance of Jane's apartment.

"What was that?" Maura said, as Jane sat bolt upright and automatically reached for her gun in the drawer of her bedside table.

Moments later, after Jane had swung her legs out of bed and placed her feet on the hardwood floor, the door to the bedroom opened, and in walked Angela Rizzoli.

"Ma!" Jane whined loudly, tossing the gun back in the drawer with more force than was necessary.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, how many times have I told you to keep your apartment tidy," Angela muttered, ignoring Jane's protest, as she began to pick up discarded items of Jane's clothing from the floor of the room.

"How many times have I told you that the key is for _emergencies only,_" Jane's voice was exasperated as she flopped back down onto the pillows.

"This mess is an emergency," Angela said, shooting her daughter a glare. Then, finally noticing the presence of another human being, smiled brightly at the slightly shocked blonde sitting on the bed. "Oh, good morning Maura! What are you doing here?"

"Well," Maura cast a brief look at Jane, whose face was completely unreadable – a new field for the doctor. "Last night we-"

"Were talking about the case," Jane interrupted, sitting back up in the bed. Ignoring Maura's shocked and slightly confused look, she barrelled on.

"And it got really late, so I offered for Maura to stay here."

Angela nodded, obviously thinking nothing of it. "Okay. I'm surprised you don't get fussy with Jane about this mess." Angela bent to pick up more clothes, and Maura stole the opportunity to shoot Jane a confused and inquiring look, one eyebrow creeping towards her slightly mussed hairline. Jane shrugged in return, giving Maura a look that could be clearly interpreted as 'please let's talk about this later'.

"I do," Maura belatedly answered Angela's statement. "But she doesn't listen."

"For Pete's sake, guys!" Jane slapped the mattress in frustration. "_My _apartment. _My _mess."

"Whatever," Angela tossed the dirty clothes into the laundry basket, then scooped the same basket under her arm and headed for the door.

"Maura, honey, _please _talk some sense into my daughter."

Maura laughed at Angela's retreating back. "I'll try, Angela!"

Once her mother was out of sight, Jane spun on the bed to face Maura.

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't know what else to say, and I don't know if she'd even think it's okay, and-"

"Jane," Maura lay a hand on Jane's knee, squeezing it gently. "It's okay. We'll tell your mother when you're ready. When you're comfortable." Maura didn't say that she was scared Jane might back out before they told anyone, but she definitely thought it.

"Okay," Jane lay her hand atop Maura's, their fingers interlocking automatically. "You're sure?"

Maura smiled, leaning over and kissing the detective on the lips. Warmth spread quickly through Jane's body, making every nerve ending tingle. Her free hand automatically reached up to capture a rouge lock of Maura's blonde mane, twisting the end of it between her fingers. Sure, Jane had touched Maura's hair before. Brushing it out of the way, putting it up for her, stroking her head when she was scared or stressed or crying. But this was different. This was special. This time, she could appreciate the softness of Maura's curl, how her fingers could feel every silky strand. How that same softness was in such harmony with the gentleness of Maura's lips on hers. She could feel Maura's other hand touching her cheek, the very tips of her fingers dragging across the rapidly warming skin, the caress so light Jane might have been imagining it.

Maura pulled away, pressing her lips to Jane's forehead.

"I'm sure," she whispered, and it took Jane a moment to remember their previous conversation.

"Okay," Jane said, standing up, her hand still intertwined with Maura's. "Let's go and get some breakfast, then."

They made their way out to the kitchen where, thankfully, Angela had disappeared. In her absence, there was a yellow post-it note on the kitchen bench.

_Washing is in the machine._

_Coffee is made._

_Love you,_

_Ma._

"Oh, you're mother's so sweet," Maura said, lifting the note from the bench and inspecting it.

Jane looked up from where she was pouring the already-made coffee into two mugs. "Sometimes."

Maura just gave her a knowing smile, taking the coffee and sipping it gratefully.

"You really should appreciate your mother more," the doctor said, setting her mug down with a soft clink.

"I appreciate her just enough," Jane retorted, sidling around to Maura's side of the bench.

"No, you don't," Maura said firmly, trying not to let Jane's proximity affect her voice.

"Sure I do," Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist and tugged her closer.

"No, you-" Maura was cut off by Jane's mouth, a quiet moan of protest slipping from her lips.

"I love that I can do that," Jane smiled smugly. "You'll never get to rant again."

* * *

**A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed. I am super excited for the upcoming chapters.**

**(Also, shameless plug here, if you watch Grey's Anatomy, it'd be awesome if you could check out my crossover **_**My Girl. **_**Thanks!)**


End file.
